Cane mill



July 4, 195o F. HEGENBARTH 2,513,481

CANE MILL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 151B /4 z2 l5 l? /0 y ze Ws I INVENTOR.

July 4, 1950 F. HEGENBARTH 2,513,481

CANE MILL Fil'ed Jan. 3, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 26 25 I 5r i I INVENTOR.

FRANC/5 /EGENHAR/l Arron/6r:

Patented July 4, 1.950

CANE MILLv Francis Hegenliarth, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., assignor to Vulcan Iron Works, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application January 3, 1946, Serial No. 638,725

' 4 claims. (c1. sose) The present invention relates to improvements in cane mills, and has more lparti ':ular .reference to an improved adapatable bearing construction for the top roll journals of such mill.

Modern cane mills consist of two siderolls in iixed location and -one top roll movab-le in top bearings which are slidably mounted in the mill housing. Such arrangement` permits the lift of the top roll whenever irregular batches of ,cane enter between the mill rolls where'the cane is crushed and the juice extracted by the pressure between the rolls. A hydraulic ,ram 4provides heavy load pressure upon vb othend journals of the top roll shaft, but permits vertical floating of the top roll as lrequired for the passage through the rolls of the cane when the. feed is irregular. l

An object of the present invention is to modify the at planar meeting surfaces between l.the standard pressure plate' andthe uppertop roll bearing to provide mutual large spherical 'bearing surfaces to enable the top `roll bearing to rotate relatively to the pressure plate incident to the axial tilting of the top roll to permit and facilitate such tilting movements of the top roll without affecting or communicating a like movement to the pressure plate andthe'ram as it is highly desirable that such pressure plate and ,ram partake only of a vertical rectilinearmovement. y

Another object of the invention is to furth er promote and facilitate tilting movements of the upper roll, its journals and bearings to `compensate for irregularity in the `feedV bycutting back the bearing flanges to provide adequate4 clearance between v the same and the sides ofthe pressure plate, thus permitting the side bearspherical surfacesonwhich the turning moments tilting of the top roll. v

'from the pressure plate I3.

of the top roll bearing are 'achieved in an instantaneously responsive manner 4substantially free from wear.

, With the foregoing and `other objects in view, the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto. v

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refe ,to like orcorresponding parts throughout the several views:

. Figure 1 is a side elevation of a conventional type of cane mill, with parts broken away and parts shown in section, illustrating the improved bearing and pressure plate construction.

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken through the central portions of the hydraulic ram and bearings substantially at right angles to Figure 1. Figure 3 is a `View similar to the right hand portion of Figure 2 illustrating the action on axial Figure is a detached View of `the coacting part-s of the top bearing 'and pressure plate with the pressure plateshown in section and the top ,bearing shown in elevation and partially broken away, and

Figure 5 is a top plan View of the modied construction of the top bearing and with the vjournal of the top roll partly broken away.

Referring more particularly to the drawings IIJ designates generally a mill housing of a standard construction in which is installed the hy- 4vdraulic top'caps Il with vertically reciprocating ,hydraulic rams I2 which develop downward thrust upon pressure plates I 3. The top rollbearingsy I4 are slidable in the mill housing and receive downward pressure At I5 is indicated the toproll journal and at I6 the top roll.

This tcp roll I6 cooperates in a well known manner with a side or cane roll having a journal yI'I and with a discharge or bagasse roll the journal of which is seen at I3. The ystandard other words these faces meet in a substantially horizontal plane throughout.

According to the present invention these coplanar surfaces are modified into a large concave spherical bearing surface 2I at the lower end or bottom of the pressure plate I3 and a complemental large convex spherical bearing surface 22 at the upper end or top of the top roll bearing I4. These surfaces 2I and 22 have great or large diameter as compared with the surfaces I9, 20 at the upper reduced portion of the pressure plate I3. Oilor grease grooves 23.may be made in either surface'ZI or 22 of any desired pattern for the purpose of lubricating the entire areas of the contacting surfaces 2 I, '22. In this instance there is shown by way of example a number of curved radiating shallow grooves 23 in the upper convex surface 22 all of which communicate with a central lubricant supply duct 23` in the pressure plate I3' which has communication in any desired or well known manner with a source of appropriate lubricant.

Referring more particularly to Figures 3 and 4 the bearing flanges 25--1are shown as being cut back as indicated at 26, suchcut back taking place' preferably along inclined'lines. These cut backportions arev made upon the inner surfaces of the bearing flanges 25 and converge upwardly from wide bases toward the outer vertical walls ofthe flanges '25'.` This arrangement leaves undisturbed the lower original thicknesses of the side flanges 25 in order that" they may adequately fit the journal I and the sides of the top roll bearing- I4 without any play; but the cut back increases upwardly to provide adequate clearancefor the liangeswhen .the top roll I6 is axially tilted as' indicated in Figure 3'. Thus the inner sides'A ofthe bearing flanges v25 avoids striking the sides of the pressure plate I3 which would not only interfere with the free tilting movement of the top roll but would also tend to displace or undesirably rotate the pressure plate I 3.

The top. roll bearings I44 are customarily of bronze and the standard construction of pressure plate with its flat base surface bears against a flat top surface of the top roll bearing I4. The hydraulic ram I2 presses against the top of the pressure plate I3 in a spherical depression I9, 20. It will be noted that this surface I9, 20 is of necessity comparatively small. With mills using up to`600 tons load on top rolls or 600,000 lbs. on each ram, the ram being. about nine inches in diameter the corresponding surface pressure at the spherical lower end I9, 20 of the ram will be approximately 9400 lbs. per square inch. It is obvious that with such pressure upon the spherical` ram end a lubricating lm on that surface cannotbe maintained, and if any alignment there occurs it could only take place under excessive unit: pressure and'afteri overcon'iir'igy the binding effect thereon.

In accordancevwitli the present invention and withrthe use-of thevsphericalsurfaces 2|, 2'2 at the lower end of' the pressure plate I3, the standard top bearing I 4-possesses dimensions which Will permit the diameter of the spherical surfaces 2|, 22 to be large enough to reduce-the unit pressure there to from 1600 to 1800 lbs. per square inch; which will permit the use of effective films of lubricants between these parts, and result in a free movement over the vspherical surface. The fact that the top bearing I4 is of bronze and the pressure plate I3 of steel will contribute to the reductionY of friction over the large spherical joint`^2|1 22'. The grooves- 23 provide for the effective distribution of lubricant over the spherical surfaces 2I, 22, the lubricant being conventionally introduced through the side of the pressure plate by means of the duct 24.

The upper surface of the improved Apressure plate I3 is provided in the usual way with the spherical indentation 20 to serve as a seat for the lower spherical end I9 of the ram I2 but these surfaces I9, 20 in no way facilitate or promote any lateral or rotary movement of the pressure plate I3 with reference to the ram I2. The pressure plate at alltimes willremainin a true horizontal position. All of thefmoveme'nt of the top bearing I4 is performed over the large spherical surfaces 2l, 22 between the top bearing I4 and the pressure plate I3 and therefore all such tilting movements will be confined to the top roller bearing I4 and the bearing flanges 25 without being in any way communicated to the pressure plate I 3'. Y

Figure 2 shows the top roll I6 in normal or horizontal position.

Figure 3 indicates the same roll I6 as lifted up at one end, for instance at such times when irregular cane feed is passingthrough the mill. At such timesa tilting pressure. is executed'against the bearing I4 bythe shaft journal I5. If the bearing I4 Ais not'permitted'to-assume the position of the journal then the shaft of thetop roll must assume an inclined position within the bearing I4. This causes the journal I5 to' bear on one end of itsv length only. Or, with the small spherical ram surface available with the standard'mill constructiona violent jarring alignment may occur, not at all of the. free moving nature which is needed to permit .instantaneous reaction upon the hydraulic ram and pressure cylinder, so that the rise ofA thetop roll'may occur without lag and in perfect synchronism with excess loads from heavy irregular feed. of cane between the rolls.

It will be appreciated that thelarger spherical couple 2 I, 22 avoids this advantage with the prior 'at surfaced construction. y

It is obvious thatvariouschanges and modications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of ,this invention withoutdeparting from the spirit thereof, such changes andmodifications.beingrestrlcted only by the scope`v` of they following claims.

What` is claimed'is:

1. In a cane mill Having a pressure roll with a journal, a bearing fittedv to the journal and mounted for sliding movement in the mill, ,apressure plate bearing against said bearing, a hy,- draulic press having a ram bearing against said pressure platepsaidrram and pressureplate having mutualcontacting spherical surfaces therebetween of .a comparatively` narrow spherical section, said pressure .plate and bearing having contacting mutually spherical surfaces therebetween of a comparatively largerspherical section.

2. A cane mill as claimed in claim 1 character.- ized by thefactthat the upper portion ofthe pressure plate is narrower than the lower portion.

3. In. a cane mill, a pressure roll having a journal, a bearing tted to said journal and havingr a large part-spherical upper end, flanges on the said bearingk projecting outwardly beyond the bearingthe inner Walls of said flanges being cut back along tapering lines which diverge outwardly toward the' outer'sid'e walls of the flanges, aVY pressure' plate" hav-'ing' a spherical 'concavity 5 tted to the conveXity of the bearing to enable the bearing to rotate with reference to the presy sure plate without disturbing the longitudinal alignment of the pressure plate and means for imposing pressure on said pressure plate, said inner Walls of said flanges being cut back to avoid striking the sides of the pressure plate in the endwise tilting rotational movement of the bearing.

4. A cane mill having a roll subject to axial tilting and a bearing tted tightly to the journal of the roll and subject to pressure from a pressure device through a pressure plate engaging the bearing, characterized by the fact that the pressure plate and bearing have complemental large spherical surfaces and said bearing having out back anges, said complemental spherical surfaces being provided for enabling the bearing to rotate relatively to the pressure plate Without disturbing the Vertical alignment of the latter and in so doing to follow the axial tilting of the journal of the roll, said bearing flanges being cut back to avoid striking the sides of the pressure plate in the endwise tilting rotational movement of the bearing.

FRANCIS HEGENBARTH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,021,829 Dyer et al Apr. 2, 1912 1,101,757 Newbold June 30, 1914 1,372,006 DeBruin Mar. 22, 1921 

